Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #8 in Suffolk public Top 16% UK

Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Philip Hurst

corporate_fareTHOMAS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL

location_onWoodbridge, IP13 9HE

language Visit Website phone 1728723493

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

1,092

trending_up

Attainment 8

48.4

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#8 in Suffolk

#1,159 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form is a Academy converter secondary school in Woodbridge, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

article

School Summary

Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form is an academy converter in Woodbridge, Suffolk, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THOMAS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,001 pupils on roll, of whom 19% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 48.4, placing the school #8 in Suffolk and #1,159 of 3,216 nationally. 46.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 21.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 26 A-level subjects. 43.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 18.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.05 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

48.4

Grade 5+ E&M

46.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)21.8%

Entering EBacc41.60%

EBacc APS4.33

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44.30%

EBacc APS4.35

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41%

EBacc APS4.29

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS4.41

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc78%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS5.01

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc70%

EBacc APS4.64

explore

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

workspace_premium

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.05

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Students

115

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.3%

Achieving A*–A18.2%

Achieving A*–B43.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate90.4%

A-level subjects offered26

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

102

Retention rate90.20%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

140

Retention rate95.70%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

126

Retention rate94.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 January 2023

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

16 September 2022

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

23 November 2021

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

27 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

14 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-01-24

Schools with Serious Weaknesses Visit 2 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2021-11-23

S5 Inspection EIF

Inadequate

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Inadequate

2006-10-05

Section 5 RTI (Sep06 - Aug07) Historic EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.4%(4 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,001 pupils. During this period, there were 7 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.7%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,001	7	0.7%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,000	15	1.5%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,020	12	1.2%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,030	5	0.5%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,031	16	1.6%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,087	8	0.7%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,092	5	0.5%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,098	14	1.3%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,149	7	0.6%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,157	13	1.1%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,159	10	0.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,140	7	0.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,143	2	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,143	2	0.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,159	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,159	7	0.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,157	7	0.6%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,126	3	0.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,123	7	0.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,120	3	0.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,098	6	0.5%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,099	6	0.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,105	15	1.4%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,095	12	1.1%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,096	11	1.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,099	14	1.3%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 26 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 20 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 11 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

92.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

92.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

21.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree40%

agree43%

disagree9%

strongly disagree5%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree28%

agree39%

disagree23%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree39%

agree19%

disagree7%

strongly disagree4%

not applicable31%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes17%

no83%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree48%

agree33%

disagree18%

strongly disagree3%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree52%

agree32%

disagree10%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree36%

disagree8%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree49%

agree38%

disagree10%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree63%

agree32%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree57%

agree34%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree47%

agree39%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes88%

no12%

Top Secondary Schools in Suffolk

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Debenham High School

Good

location_on Stowmarket, IP14 6BL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Hartismere School

Outstanding

location_on Eye, IP23 7BL

emoji_events #2 in LA

Bury St Edmunds County High School

Good

location_on Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6RF

emoji_events #3 in LA

St Benedict's Catholic School

Good

location_on Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6RH

emoji_events #4 in LA

Northgate High School

Good

location_on Ipswich, IP4 3DL

emoji_events #5 in LA

Sybil Andrews Academy

Good

location_on Bury St. Edmunds, IP32 7QB

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Suffolk arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Suffolk

Debenham High School

Hartismere School

Bury St Edmunds County High School

St Benedict's Catholic School

Northgate High School

Sybil Andrews Academy